Kiefer Sutherland Biography

Actor(1966–)

103

SHARES

Actor Kiefer Sutherland, son of Donald Sutherland, appeared in numerous coming-of-age films throughout the 1980s, including Stand by Me and The Lost Boys.

Synopsis

Kiefer Sutherland was born December 21, 1966 in London, England. In 1983, he appeared in his first feature film, alongside his father. He appeared in numerous coming-of-age films throughout the 1980s. In 1986 he founded Still Water Productions. In 1990 he earned national attention for Flatliners. Two years later, he starred in A Few Good Men, and within a year, he made his directorial debut.

Early Life

Kiefer Sutherland was born Kiefer William Frederick Dempsey George Rufus Sutherland on December 21, 1966 in London, England. Kiefer and his twin sister, Rachel, were born to acting parents Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas, who divorced in 1971. After the divorce, Kiefer and his mother moved from their home in Los Angeles to Toronto where he attended Catholic boarding school until he was 15.

Advertisement

Career

Sutherland's interest in acting took him to the stage at an early age, in a production of Throne of Strow. In 1983, he appeared in his first feature film, Max Dugan Returns, alongside his father. He appeared in numerous coming-of-age films throughout the 1980s, including The Bay Boy, Rob Reiner's Stand by Me and the vampire thriller The Lost Boys. In 1986, Sutherland founded Still Water Productions, named after a river that ran through his Montana ranch.

Advertisement

Advertisement

In 1990, Sutherland earned national attention for his role in Flatliners, a psychodrama costarring Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin and Julia Roberts. Two years later, he starred in the blockbuster A Few Good Men, and within a year, he made his directorial debut with the television drama Last Light, in which he also starred as a prison inmate.

The late 1990s showcased Sutherland's preference for dark, intensely psychological scripts. In 1997, he starred in the modern film noir The Last Days of Frankie the Fly and the science fiction-mystery film Dark City. He released his second self-directed TV movie, Woman Wanted in 1999, as well as the psychotic drama Ground Control.

Sutherland shifted gears in 2000 for Picking Up the Pieces, a satirical comedy infused with screwball humor. The same year, he starred in Stephen Hopkins' hit series 24, which earned him a Golden Globe award.

Sutherland returned as Jack Bauer in the made-for-television movie, 24: Redemption, in November 2008. The show's seventh season aired in 2009 and continued on for two more seasons, becoming the longest running American espionage drama in TV history. In 2012 Sutherland starred in Fox's short-lived American thriller Touch. Not being able to turn away from the success of 24, Fox announced in 2013 that it would return in limited-series form as 24: Live Another Day. The series aired in 2014 to rave reviews.

Continuing working on the small screen in a big way, Sutherland currently appears in Designated Survivor on ABC, in which he plays the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development who gets pushed into the presidency when an attack kills the sitting president and Congress during a State of the Union address.

Personal Life

In September 2007, Sutherland was arrested in West Los Angeles after making an illegal U-turn and failing a field sobriety test. Already on probation for a 2004 drunken driving arrest, he pleaded no contest and served 48 days in jail.

Sutherland was married to Camelia Kath from 1987-1990. He has a daughter, Sarah Jude, along with a stepdaughter, Michelle Kath, from Camelia's marriage to Chicago guitarist and singer Terry Kath. In 1990 he was famously engaged to Julia Roberts, but the couple never married. Sutherland married Kelly Winn in 1996; the couple separated in 1999, and Kiefer officially filed for divorce in 2004. In 2008, the divorce was finalized. He has two stepsons from that marriage.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Publisher

Last Updated

Original Published Date

BIO NEWSLETTER

MORE STORIES FROM BIO

Roger Moore was a British actor best known for playing James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He passed away at the age of 89 this week, following a "short but brave battle with cancer," according to his family.

Actor and producer Brad Pitt is an Academy Award and Golden Globe winner known for such films as 'Legends of the Fall,' 'Fight Club,' 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' 'Moneyball' and '12 Years a Slave.'